Why Aren’t You Weighing Your Dry Ingredients?

Most bakers will tell you that one of their must-have-kitchen tools is a good scale that is capable of measuring in precise increments. That’s because they rely on the scale to weigh out their ingredients, rather than simply scooping it up. For example, take flour that has been packed in its 10 pound bag, quickly fill a 1 cup measuring cup, level it on the side, and then throw it in a bowl on the scale. Because the flour was pre-packed and compressed, odds are it would be much heavier than the suggested 130 grams (that’s for all-purpose flour, other flour types have different suggested weight). Now, swirl the flour around to unpack it a bit and spoon the ingredient into the same measuring cup. Measure in the same bowl on the same scale and, guess what, odds are you’ll get a different number than the first time. In fact, it’ll probably be less than the 130 grams you’re looking to reach. On average, measuring ingredients this way leads to anywhere between 30% more or less of the amount of flour you’re actually looking to get. The point is, the collection of measuring spoons and cups isn’t needed, just the scale, because you can spoon in the flour until you reach the weight you are looking for. If you go over a bit, that’s fine, scoop a bit out.

Chefs and bakers like to weigh their dry ingredients for more than just the accuracy – it’s also easier to just fill a bowl on a scale.

It’s important to note that you can measure ingredients in either grams or ounces, both units are okay to use; however, you should be aware of what aspect of the ingredient is being measured with regards to ounces – volume (fluid, liquid) ounces or weight (dry) ounces. A liquid ounce of water (29.74 grams) is not going to be the same as a dry ounce of water (28.03 grams). The majority of scales can measure weight in both ounces and grams, so you can switch back and forth depending on what your recipe is calling for or what you prefer.

Finally, if you need to convert things from ounces to grams (or vice-versa), simple type in “ounces to grams” or “grams to ounces” in Google and a calculator will load at the top of the screen. From there, you can change the numbers as you need to, to find the right calculation.

Although not an exclusive list of weight conversion, here’s an example of a few dry ingredients and their weight in grams and ounces:

About Kasy Allen

@kasyallen | As an Online Marketing Strategist, Kasy Allen brings more than 10 years experience in search engine optimization (SEO), content strategy and Internet marketing. She enjoys writing on the web and improving user experience across the Tundra site. When Kasy is out of the office, she can often be found volunteering her time to help non-profit organizations build an online presence, and exploring the great outdoors with her family.